Jack Grise, a Navy veteran and successful businessman, started the Veterans Initiative with Pinellas SCORE. Free mentoring, counseling and help with business start-ups for veterans and active-duty military and their immediate families.

As more and more active-duty military enter the civilian workforce, the number of Career and Job Fairs for Veterans has grown.

But very little so far has been offered to those veterans and military families who want to work for themselves.

Enter Pinellas SCORE and its’ Veterans Initiative. For a second year, the free business mentoring group has planned a Start-Up Business Resource Expo for veterans, active-duty members and their families.

“The yearly expo is intended to take that 60-65 percent that think about self-employment but do nothing about it, I want them to know what resources are available,” said Jack Grise, a Navy veteran and vice president of the Pinellas SCORE Veterans Initiative.

Veterans and those currently serving can learn what is involved in starting a business and it’s all for free.

Pinellas SCORE has dozens of volunteer business experts ready to help veterans interested in starting their own business. Photo courtesy of Pinellas SCORE.

The Veterans Entrepreneur Expo is just the first step. What’s even better is that the Pinellas SCORE business counseling and mentoring is not a one-time stop.

“We work with the clients as long as they come back to us,” Grise said. “If you want to take advantage of the expertise and experience, the vast experience, that these SCORE mentors have, you’d be crazy not to, it’s free.”

The expo offers education tracks that cover the legal aspects of starting a business, social marketing, all about franchising, and most importantly ways to finance your business.

“I’ve invited a set of panelists. There’s an angel investor coming. There’s a crowd-funding person that started a crowd funding organization, (Small Business Administration) SBA subordinated loans from banks,” Grise said.

There are additional financing opportunities like the SCORE Pinellas business start-up grant program for veterans who qualify. It is designed to assist and guide veterans or their family members to achieve business success.

The keynote speaker is Mark Swanson. an Army veteran, successful serial entrepreneur and Bright House executive.